dunking

American  

[duhng-king] / ˈdʌŋ kɪŋ /

noun

1. the action of plunging or being plunged into water or other liquid.

   Learning to canoe cost her several dunkings.

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Etymology

Origin of dunking

First recorded in 1915–20; dunk + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

But the dunking spawned the legend of the "Curse of the Colonel" that said the Tigers would never win another title until the effigy was recovered.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

Pickleball may be everywhere, but it’s continuing to mature as a serious sport, and Waters is its Michael Jordan—if Michael Jordan was dunking on Naismith’s peach baskets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

“You got better. You don’t just get better. Comedy is like sports. Nobody starts dunking at 60 years old.”

From Salon • May 9, 2025

Diop, who doesn’t speak much English, said he likes blocking shots more than dunking.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2025

Any noise, at all, would alert Mr. Flux, and though he’d somehow managed to climb from the Eternal Creek, he probably wouldn’t be very nice to the boys responsible for dunking him in it.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles